Hindu Woman Gangraped and Poisoned to Death in Bangladesh

 Hindu Woman Gangraped and Poisoned to Death in Bangladesh

Nidhu Bhusan Das

Atrocities against Hindus continue in Bangladesh unabated with the perpetrators enjoying impunity.Now the country is in the grip of islamists who are apparently committed bringing the state under Sharia law. Hindus and other religious minorities are under attack and in constant fear in the absence of rule of law for them.The chittagong Hill Tracts newspaper today has come out with a report of a horrendous crime against a Hindu women in the country’s south-western district of Narail.Basana Mallick (46), an elected Hindu Union Parishad (UP) member, was allegedly gang-raped and poisoned to death.

Sanjoy Kumar Barua reports in the newspaper that the perpetrators not only committed the heinous crime but also recorded the assault, demanding BDT 200,000 in extortion, said the victim’s son.

Threats of further harm followed when she resisted their demands.

Basana succumbed to her injuries on early Friday at Jessore General Hospital, leaving a devastated family and an outraged community.

According to her grieving son, the tragedy unfolded on Wednesday afternoon.

While returning home after collecting supplies from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), Basana received a call from one Md.Rajibul, who lured her to a meeting under false pretenses of settling dues.

On arrival, she was ambushed by Rajibul, Osman Mia, and their accomplices, who gang-raped her.

The criminals later demanded a ransom and threatened to kill her if she exposed the assault, the victim’s son added.

The ordeal left Basana paralyzed by fear. She returned home but kept the nightmare hidden.

However, her health deteriorated rapidly, forcing her family to rush her to Jessore .comGeneral Hospital on Friday morning.

Dr. Bazlur Rashid, the Residential Medical Officer (RMO) at Jessore General Hospital, stated, “Preliminary findings indicate that the victim was subjected to sexual assault and forced to ingest poison.”

“Physical injuries consistent with rape were observed, and necessary forensic evidence has been collected. Traces of poison were also detected in her stomach”, he said.

“While the autopsy has been completed, a detailed analysis will depend on the findings of the viscera report”, the RMO added.

In her final moments, she recounted the brutal assault and named her attackers to her son and relatives.

Through tears, the victim’s son said, “My mother died in my arms while recounting the horrific ordeal she endured.”

“Those responsible for this brutality must face the harshest punishment—I demand they be sentenced to death”, he lamented.

Basana’s death has triggered a firestorm of anger and grief in the local community.

Relatives and neighbors condemned the rising wave of violence against minorities and the lack of accountability from authorities.

“This is not just an attack on a woman; this is an attack on the entire Hindu community,” said one distraught relative.

Despite the severity of the crime, no formal case had been filed at the time of reporting.

Law enforcement officials stated they are awaiting a complaint to initiate investigations.

This ruthless crime underscores the escalating violence and impunity against Bangladesh’s minority communities.

Santosh Paul, a local resident, said, “Our community is gripped by fear and insecurity.”

Residents have demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits and exemplary punishment to deter such heinous crimes in the future.

In the current turmoil of Bangladesh, Basana’s horrific murder has become a glaring symbol of the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to protect the lives, rights, and security of minority communities, highlighting the growing threats they face amid widespread societal unrest and rising intolerance.

Hindus Endangered in Bangladesh

 Hindus Endangered in Bangladesh. Click the video and hear the heart rending cry of a victim.

https://youtu.be/TIj5LrGufNA?si=QpgzXhRw9C38Qgte

Hindus in Bangladesh

 A Reign of Terror on

Hindus in Bangladesh

Nidhu Bhusan Das

The Hindus in Bangladesh are under attack. The security forces of the country are allegedly hand in glove with the Islamists against the largest religious minority  since the departure of Prime Minister Shekh Hasina from Ganabhawan,Dhaka under apparently unsustainable pressure on 5 August 2024 and the takeover of the reign by Dr.Mohammad Yunus.

The siruation,according to observers,is like the one that emerged in the wake of the fall of Bastille in Paris  to the mob fury on 14 July 1789.The lawlessness and reign of terror that is unleashed against the Hindus reminds one of the France post the storming and fall of the Bastille. The attck on the Hindus on 5 Novemer night in Chittagong is the latest instance of atrocities against the Hindus.It was a combined attack of security forces comprising the Army, paramilitary BGB,police and the Islamists.

The newspaper The Chittagong Hill Tracts today (7 November 2024) reported the atrocity and atrocious role of the security forces in details. Mr.Sanjoy Kumar Barua reports :Since the evening of November 5, 2024, the Bangladesh Army, along with Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) and local police forces, have launched a violent and targeted crackdown on Hindu-majority areas in Chattogram.

Reports from victims and eyewitnesses in the region indicate that heavily armed soldiers, backed by paramilitary forces and police, have been conducting door-to-door raids in Hindu neighborhoods including Hazarigolli and its surrounding localities.

The security forces are accused of forcibly entering homes, rounding up all male residents, and taking them into custody under unclear circumstances.

In a disturbing escalation of violence, several reports claim that security personnel have also destroyed CCTV cameras to prevent documentation of the atrocities.

The crackdown followed a large-scale protest by Hindus against a Facebook post by a Muslim trader, Osman Mollah. The post, which targeted the Hindu Vaishnavite order, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), contained derogatory remarks, calling for the organization to be declared a terrorist group. Mollah also insulted ISKCON priests and Hindus in general, demanding a ban on the organization.

In response, a group of Hindus gathered outside Mollah’s shop at a shopping center in Hazarigolli, demanding an apology. The situation escalated when the police, responding to distress calls from Mollah’s neighbors, conducted a harsh lathicharge on the protestors. This action angered some Hindus, who retaliated by throwing brickbats at the police.

At least five victims from Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), all from the Hindu minority community, have come forward with disturbing accounts of a violent midnight raid allegedly carried out by members of the Bangladesh Army and Islamic extremists.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the victims described the harrowing ordeal in which their homes were forcibly broken into, subjected to brutal torture, and robbed of valuables.

According to the victims, the attackers arrived at their residences in the dead of night, forcibly smashing down doors and windows to gain entry.

The assailants, armed and threatening, then proceeded to assault them physically, with women, children, and elderly individuals among those reportedly targeted.

One victim recounted the terrifying moments: “They came in the middle of the night, broke our doors, and dragged us out. We were beaten, threatened, and had our belongings looted. There was nothing we could do.As a minority we are feeling helpless in Bangladesh.”

Over 200 Hindu men have been arrested in the aftermath of the protest. A Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Manch activist expressed grave concern, saying, “We fear some Hindus have been killed. Reports are emerging of radical Muslims, alongside the army and police, abducting Hindu people. We are in constant fear for our lives.”

Hindus in the port city, led by prominent religious leaders, recently held a massive rally to protest the persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh and to demand stronger protections for their rights.

The rally, where Hindus presented an eight-point charter of demands, ignited protests across Bangladesh. The interim government and Islamic fanatics group, have strongly opposed the demands.

Key demands include a minority protection law, a dedicated Ministry of Minority Affairs with adequate funding, tribunals to prosecute perpetrators of recent attacks on minorities, and compensation and rehabilitation for victims of violence.

Other demands include the construction of places of worship for minorities in all educational institutions, prayer rooms for Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian students in college hostels, the modernization of the Pali and Sanskrit Education Board, upgrading the Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian Welfare Trusts to foundations, and a five-day official holiday for Durga Puja each year.

Recently, calls to ban ISKCON have gained traction in Bangladesh, with several individuals and groups backing the demand.

ISKCON leaders in Dhaka urged Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman to apologize for his public call to ban the organization. In addition, the group “Inqilab Manch” has also called for the prohibition of ISKCON, further escalating tensions.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the prominent Sanatan religious organization, has been accused of involvement in incidents of unrest, acid attacks, and assaults on law enforcement officers in Chittagong’s Hazari Lane, according to local police today.

A police case has been filed against 582 individuals, with 49 arrests made so far. Authorities are also investigating potential political motivations behind the unrest.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Deputy Commissioner for Crime and Operations, Roish Uddin, revealed these details during a press briefing at the Dampara Police Lines media center on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

However army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ferdous Ahmed briefed the media on Wednesday that joint forces have arrested 80 individuals in connection with the attack on law enforcement officers and the acid throwing incident at Hazari Lane.

Hasina, 76, fled and took shelter to India, and an interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, was swiftly established to take her place.